This Parasha has a very odd opening verse; it basically states that HaShem was worried that Bnei-Yisrael might go back to Egypt upon the prospect of war. The Torah writes that Pharaoh “sent” the nation “Et Ha’Am” (“אֶת-הָעָם”), meaning he sent his nation and not Bnei-Yisrael to join them and perhaps to spy on them. In the Torah HaShem refers to the “Erev-Rav” (“ערב-רב”), the Egyptian converts, in two terms, “Amcha” (“עמך“), your people, speaking to Moshe in the Golden Calf sin; and “A’am” (“עם”), just a nation. To the people of Israel HaShem refers to as Bnei-Yisrael (the sons of Israel/Yaakov) and “Ami” “עמי” (my nation). So from here we learn that the Torah is referring to the“Erev-Rav” (“ערב-רב”), the Egyptian converts. From here we learn that the Erev-Rav were the ones the Torah speaks of here, as they might change their minds and go back to Egypt. Pharaoh regretted letting Bnei-Yisrael go, with all the wealth they took with them when they left Egypt.
The word “Beshalach” “בְּשַׁלַּח” (when he sent) has a hidden message, alluding to two kinds of incidents when Bnei-Yisrael did not fully trust HaShem. The word “Beshalach” has in it the letter “Beit” (“ב”) which equals 2 in gematria and the word “Chalash” (“חלש” – weak). This alludes to those time when Bnei-Yisrael displayed weakness and mistrust in HaShem; twice about water and once about faith. They did not trust HaShem before crossing the Sea of Reeds and after crossing it. They first complained to Moshe when they saw the Egyptians following them, saying that he took them out of Egypt to “die” in the desert. Then, after they crossed the Sea of Reeds they complained about the bitter water. These two elements are the foundation of life as they are both physical (water) and spiritual (faith), and they became weak with both. The name of the Parasha tells us just that, to teach us about the low level of faith Bnei-Yisrael had in HaShem regardless of all the miracles He performed for them in Egypt. I humbly believe that these sins were the prelude to the forty years punishment in the desert.
The Zohar says that in days of Mashiach, there will be the resurrections of the dead, including all the wicked ones such as Pharaoh, Nevuchadnetzer and others to witness HaShem’s ultimate promise. We learn this from the first four words in our Parasha, “וַיְהִי, בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת”. The last letters spells the word “Techiya” (“תחיה”), meaning resurrection as we learn from the term “resurrection of the dead” (“תחית המתים”). The days of Mashiach, Rambam writes: “If a king will arise from the House of David who, like David his ancestor, delves deeply into the study of the Torah and observes its Mitzvot as prescribed by the Written law and the Oral law; if he will compel all of Israel to walk in (the way of the Torah) and repair the breaches (in its observance); and if he will fight the wars of HaShem; – we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the Beit-HaMikdash on its site, and gathers in the dispersed remnant of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach.” Midrash Rabba adds that that certain righteous individuals will be resurrected at the outset with the arrival of Mashiach. As a reward for their lifelong divine service, they will thus be privileged to participate in the universal rejoicing that will accompany his arrival, and to witness the rebuilding of the Beit-HaMikdash. Similarly, there is an opinion that Moshe Rabbeinu and Aharon and his sons will be resurrected before Mashiach comes, so that they will be able to instruct the people as they did at the time of the Exodus.
The Talmud (Sanhedrin 91) tells about the pressure the gentiles placed on Bnei-Yisrael to give back the wealth they took from Egypt. On one occasion the Ishmaelite and the Ketureans sued the Jews before Alexander of Macedon, Alexander the Great. They pleaded and claimed that ‘Canaan belongs jointly to all of us, for it is written, “Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Avraham’s son” and it is [further] written, “And these are the generations of Isaac, Avraham’s son”, and said that the land of Israel belongs to them as well. Upon hearing this argument a person named Gebiha ben Pesisa said to the Sages: ‘Give me permission to go and plead against them before Alexander of Macedon. Should they defeat me then say, “You have defeated one of our ignorant man”, whereas if I defeat them say, “The Law of Moshe has defeated you”, and so it was; he went before Alexander of Macedon who asked him ‘Whence do you adduce your proof?’; ‘From the Torah,’ Gebiha replied; ‘I will bring you proof only from the Torah, for it is written, “And Avraham gave all that he had unto Isaac. But unto the sons of the concubines which Avraham had, Avraham gave gifts and not all that he was blessed by HaShem”. Furthermore our Sages said that Bnei-Yisrael worked for two hundred and ten years in Egypt and never got paid for it. The Egyptian also took all the wealth they inherited from King Yosef and the land of Goshen. Alexander of Macedon agreed with the Jews and praised them.
The numerical value of the word “בְּשַׁלַּח” “Beshalach” is 340. The Midrash says that had Yaakov lived at this exact moment, would have been three hundred and forty years old at the splitting of the Red Sea. The Midrash says that HaShem brought him to witness this miracle, as it is written (verse 14:31) “and Israel (Yaakov’s other name) saw the great work which HaShem did upon the Egyptians” (“וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת-הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה בְּמִצְרַיִם”). Yaakov was born on Erev Sukkoth in the year 2108 BEC and died Erev Sukkoth 2255 BEC at the age of hundred and forty-seven. He merited witnessing both the beginning and the end of the exile (“גלות”). HaShem showed him the fulfillment of His prophecy and the redemption as He promised.
HaShem showed Yaakov the fulfillment of His prophecy and redemption of his sons as promised
Yaakov went down to Egypt with seventy people and they numbered in the millions when they went out of Egypt as we see in the counting of Bnei-Yisrael.
The Torah writes (verse 13:18) that Bnei-Yisrael left Egypt Chamushim” (“וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל”), meaning fifth came out (20%) of eighteen million people (our Sages say) three million people total, and amongst them Six hundred thousand men. This comes to teach us that the other eighty percent died in Egypt due to their sins and lack of faith in HaShem, at the plague of darkness.
The number seventy has a divine teaching with respect of the 70 holy days per year that HaShem gave us:
- 7 days Pesach (Passover)
- 1 day Shavuot
- 8 days Sukkot-Shmini Azeret
- 1 day Rosh HaShanah
- 1 day Yom Kippur
- 52 days Shabbat
These all totaling seventy.
We also learn that the number seventy has manny others meanings, these all are seventy:
70 names of HaShem
70 names of Israel
70 Judges (Shoftim)
70 names of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem)
70 years of King David’s life
70 members of Yaakov’s family who went down to Egypt
Bnei-Yisrael just witnessed miraculous events with all the plagues that lasted six and half months in Egypt (from Rosh HaShanah to fourteen of Nissan. They were privileged to see HaShem’s might and to take part in the fulfillment of a prophecy. Yet, HaShem “felt” that they might be insecure (faithless) after all these experiences and life changing events, and regret their redemption. Why some of Bnei-Yisrael were about to lose their faith and ask to go back to Egypt? Haven’t they seen all that HaShem was capable of? Haven’t they appreciated what HaShem did for them? How could Bnei-Yisrael doubt HaShem?
Before we answer these questions we need to understand a fundamental part of HaShem’s greatness and His will to make us His partners. HaShem gave us, His chosen people the option to do what no other religion and their so-called “god” allow for. We learn from this verse a profound lesson from HaShem who gives us an opportunity to be a partner in His creation. In His infinite wisdom, HaShem gave us the profound opportunity to add to His creation. For example, HaShem allowed us to perform the Brit-Milah, even though He could have just created us already circumcised (as Moshe was). He also allowed us to develop medicine, genetic modifications, and other scientific advancements, and most of all He allowed us to “know” Him. No other religion allows its people to ask questions or examine the validity of its source. In the book of Beresheet it is written, “And HaShem rested from His creation on the seventh day”, meaning there was more to be created, as it wasn’t finished. HaShem left for us to create and be partner in the creation with Him. Its important to know that both Islam and Christianity do not allow their followers to question their “leaders” or the tenets (belief bases) of their religion.
There are several reasons for the way (path and journey) HaShem took Bnei-Yisrael out of Egypt. HaShem made Bnei-Yisrael take a different route in order to make them reach a higher level of faith and holiness. Originally, the detour was to prevent Bnei-Yisrael from immediately going to war with the Amalekites and the Canaanites, for upon such war they would ask for a new leader and return to Egypt. HaShem wanted to make it difficult for them to return to Egypt. Many of Bnei-Yisrael and the Erev-Rav (the Egyptian converts) believed that after the ten plagues, they will be treated nicely and was considering returning back to Egypt. Another reason was not to let Pharaoh think that Bnei-Yisrael took the way he had in mind for them. Another reason was that Bnei-Yisrael were not ready to receive the Torah yet; only after witnessing the miracles of the Egyptians being punished (at the sea) as well as the splitting of the sea Bnei-Yisrael will be ready to accept the Torah. As well as to fulfill 49 days of Kedusha, holiness.
The Torah writes that Bnei-Yisrael left Egypt “Chamushim” (“וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל”) also means “armed”; that is to say that they were armed with special “armor” stored in two Arks. The Midarsh says one was the bones of Yosef and the second would be for the Ten Commandments they were about to receive. The most important armor was the spiritual protection by HaShem, who went with them out of Egypt with all Israel Angels. We learn this from (Verse 12:41) inner last parasha “יָצְאוּ כָּל-צִבְאוֹת יְהוָה”, all the Angels of HaShem went out from the land of Egypt. The word “Chamushim” also means that Bnei-Yisrael were armed with all that they needed to be ready for sacrifices including items for war (for example, silver, gold, clothing).
While the entire Bnei-Yisrael were busy taking the gold and silver out of Egypt, Moshe rushed back to find Yosef’s casket and his bones. The Midrash tells us that the Egyptian buried it in the Nile (water), hoping that Yosef’s bones will bless their Nile. They hoped for two things, one to have the Egyptian River blessed by the body of Yosef and second to have his body stay in Egypt to bless the land. The Egyptians took heavy rocks and “dumped” Yosef’s casket in the bottom of the river. Moshe stood on the river bank, pronounced HaShem secret name and the casket rose above the water. Moshe took Yosef bones with him to be carried throughout the journey in the desert to be burial in Israel, as was instructed by Yosef’s covenant with Bnei-Yisrael (Yosef is buried in Shechem). The verse says the word “swear” twice (“הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ”) to teach us that Yosef made his brothers swear as an oath to take him out of Egypt, and he also asked them to make the same oath with their children to do the same. On the second day of their exodus from Egypt, Bnei-Yisrael traveled from Sukkot to Eitam at the edge of the desert. Moshe knew the prophecy of the Red Sea splitting and knew that Yosef’s bones will merit Bnei-Yisrael such a miracle as well as protection in the desert. In Yosef’s merit Bnei-Yisrael will overcome future challenges as well as win wars, as Moshe predicted.
The Midrash teaches us that the daughter of Asher, Se’rach (who was on of the ten righteous who went up to the heavens alive), saw Moshe and asked why he looked so exhausted. He explained that he hadn’t been able to find Yosef’s casket and they would not be able to leave Mitzrayim without fulfilling the oath made to him. “Come with me and I’ll show you where it is,” she said to Moshe. She brought him to the Nile, told him that the Egyptians had made a casket weighing 500 talents and showed him where they had thrown it. The sorcerers had advised Pharaoh that by doing so it would be impossible to remove the casket-thus ensuring that Bnei Yisroel would never leave Egypt. Moshe immediately called out: “Yosef, Yosef, you swore that Hashem would redeem your children-do not delay that redemption!” The casket miraculously floated to the surface and Moshe lifted it onto his shoulder. As Bnei Yisroel were carrying the gold and silver out of Mitzrayim, Moshe was carrying the bones of Yosef. At that time Hashem declared: “Moshe, the great chessed {kindness} that you have shown will be compensated-I will personally tend to your burial.”
When Yosef was born, his mother Rachel named him Yosef qualifying it with a prophecy that he shall give her “another” son, using the word “Acher” (“אחר” – another). It teaches us that Yosef had the ability and power to transfer “Acher” (another) into son of Israel, meaning to convert the others as we witnessed with the Erev-Rav. Yosef had the same ability to transform a secular Jew into an observant Jew. The Torah writes (verse 13:19) “and you shall carry up my bones away hence with you” (“וְהַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת-עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶם”), a sentence that has an extra word in it, “Mizeh” (“מִזֶּה”), hence/because of this. This word has a profound secret as Yosef said that due to two commandments he kept, he was entitled to be buried in Israel. The two commandments were the fifth and seventh commandments; 5 is the numerical value of the letter “ה” and 7 is the numerical value of the letter “זֶּ” “Ze”.
The fifth commandment is “Honor your father and your mother so that your days may be long upon the land which HaShem gives you” (Exodus 20:12), and the seventh commandment is “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:13). Yosef essentially was telling Bnei-Yisrael that he observed the Mitzvah of honoring his parents by not telling his father about his brothers’ sin, and he observed the Mitzvah of not committing adultery by not having relationship with Potiphar’s wife. In Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 it says “Honor your father and your mother” but in Leviticus 19:3 it says “Fear your mother and your father”. Our sages say that in the matter of honor due to parents, the father is mentioned first; in the matter of reverence due to parents, the mother is mentioned first. From this we learn that both are to be equally honored and revered.